Arkansas, Tennessee Move To Limit Education About Racism, Sexism

[raging moderate]

3. Shamefully, not only the south.

Recent events in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and other places show that white supremacy is everywhere. My husband and I moved to Maryland a few years ago. At a checkout counter in Walmart, the clerk politely asked where I was from, and I replied that I was born in Chicago. The customer behind me barged into our little chat to boom out, "Of course, the Blacks in Chicago are nothing but thugs!" Shocked, I turned to her and said, as loudly as possible, "No, they are not! And the gang activity you may have heard of has more whites involved." At that point, the clerk needed me to finish loading my groceries into my cart and let her get on with her work. So I had to leave. But I will never forget that rude racist customer. She yelled this in the middle of a store with many Black customers and workers all around us. Oh, and here is the source of my particular shame: she did not have any kind of a southern accent. This stuff is all over the north, too.